1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parameter adjustment device and a method thereof; in particular, the present invention relates to a parameter adjustment device and a method thereof for adjusting stimulating parameters in a stimulator by means of an iterative operation based on the simulated annealing method.
2. Description of Related Art
A stimulator is a type of device able to generate stimulation signals, which, when applied in medical usages, allows to stimulate a user's nerves or muscular organization, thereby achieving the purposes of diagnoses, rehabilitations or therapies. When the stimulator is applied in the medical field, it can be used to improve or treat neural system diseases like neural function imbalance or impairment. For example, Cochlear Implant (CI) can be used to improve severe to profound hearing loss condition. Deep Brain Stimulator (DBS) can be used to treat Parkinson's Disease. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) can treat epilepsy. Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) can be used to treat chronic disease pains or to improve spinal injury conditions. Sacral Nerve Stimulation (SNS) can treat urinary incontinence.
Due to different causes or reasons in every user's various symptoms and conditions, most of the stimulators are equipped with the function of parameter adjustment, in order to adjust the control parameters of the stimulator, thereby allowing the stimulation signal generated by the stimulator to be applicable for different types of users. The control parameters refer to parameters such as voltage amplitude, current amplitude, pulse width, pulse frequency and duration etc., which enable generation of stimulation signal by the stimulator. However, parameter adjustment may need to consume a lot of time and manual efforts, and usually requires multiple times of clinical tests and error fixings, amending the values for the set of the control parameters one by one, thereby generating the best values for the set of the control parameters. The best values for the set of the control parameters allow the stimulator to suitably provide the optimal stimulation outcome and the least side effect. But, the control parameters are mutually interrelated in most cases, e.g. the input voltage amplitude affects the output pulse width, thus in addition to the inconsistencies between the user's bio-physical features and feedback information, the generation of the best control parameter would become even more challenging.